If it’s a morning wedding the commencement of a bride’s dressing will be very early, as early as 2 a.m. This is mainly due to the photographers needing the bride available before the Sun becomes too bright. Therefore, a bride must be conscious of this fact and get adequate rest the night before. I see that many brides are unable to do so because of all the last minute arrangements and running too many errands at the last moment. I find that using the facilities of a wedding planner greatly reduces the last minute tension on the bride and the family.

If it’s an evening wedding generally the bride starts on or around 9 am. They have to be mindful of the fact that the make-up artist generally needs around 3 hours for dressing and the photographers need around 2 hours.

In both instances  it’s very important that the bride is relaxed and not stressed. It’s always a pleasure to work with a bride who is relaxed and confident at the time of dressing and it helps in the final outcome.

If a bride is considering a going away change, she should be mindful that a change takes roughly around 45 minutes and be mindful the couple will be out of the function for about an hour. A bride must consider the duration of the function and determine the availability to spare the 1 hour as aforesaid.

A Kandyan bridal dressing generally takes a little longer due to the intricate dressing of the jewelry, as it has to be stitched to the saree.

By Dil Sapukotanage – Sri Lanka (0777683602)